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Easter activities to do with the kids

Are you fitting your business around your kids this Easter? Most business mums I know are scaling back their work for the next couple of weeks and spending the holidays with their children. No doubt there will be a few nights working late for some of us!

So I thought it might be a nice idea to list a few simple and inexpensive things you can do with your kids over the Easter break.

Outdoor fun

The weather can go either way at this time of year, but if we’re lucky we may be able to get outside. (*Crosses fingers* Please let us be able to get outside!)

  • Easter egg hunt – Grab a bag of mini eggs, hide them around the garden and send the kids off to find them.
  • Picnic – Wrap up warm and take a picnic to the park. Don’t forget a thermos of coffee for the adults! (Or even better, get some of these thermal mugs)
  • Two other ways to keep warm are to bounce around on a giant retro space hopper or chase bubbles!
  • Bug safari – the ladybirds are out and about already, so why not take a closer look at them with this Creature Peeper?

Indoor activities

  • Printables – Take a look at some of the fab and easy activities at Mr Printables. Kim at Boutique by Design has a cute label that will turn any bag of chocolate raisins into Bunny Poop or if you prefer you can turn your marshmallows into Bunny Tails.
  • Crafts – bunnies from cotton wool , Easter bonnets, spring flowers from tissue paper, Easter cards for gran and grandad. It’s a great time of year for arts and crafts.
  • Hide and squeak – Babies and young toddlers love these Tomy Hide ‘n’ Squeak Eggs – and they are much healthier than chocolate eggs, too!
  • Twister – For older kids, go retro and play Twister. I haven’t played it since I was a student (yep, that was the version with alcohol!), so I’m really looking forward to being able to play the original version when my kids are just a bit bigger.
  • Board games – my toddlers love a board game, especially Shopping List.
  • Going to a birthday party this Easter? – here’s a nice selection of children’s gifts.

Local activities

Don’t forget to check your local theatres, sports centres, swimming pools and libraries for special events over the holidays.

Other things you might need at this time of year

Lighter mornings mean a  blackout blind and a Gro Clock could make a real difference to how long your little one sleeps in the mornings. Which means you get more sleep too!

What will you be doing over the holidays? Drop me a comment and let me know!

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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The easy way to stay fit as a working mum

A couple of days ago I had a chat with Janet of Kitchen Table Sewing about exercise. I’ve not done much exercise since my children were born (well, apart from lifting and chasing toddlers), but Janet is into running, both on her own and with a toddler in a buggy.

I used to do a little running in my LBK (life before kids) and this chat reminded me how it cleared my mind and put my worries back into perspective as well as making me feel better physically.

(Note the word ‘little’ – at my absolute peak of fitness I managed to do the Flora Light 5km run. A big achievement for someone as unathletic as me and a brilliant experience but definitely a long way short of a marathon :). Or even a half marathon!)

Janet mentioned that although running takes some time out of your day, it more than makes up for that time by making you feel more able to deal with the challenges that family life can throw at you.

So now I’m actually considering going for a little jog!

But if running isn’t your thing, how can you fit exercise into a day that’s already full with children and work? You could try the 10 minute workout method! Continue reading “The easy way to stay fit as a working mum”

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Here’s how a good business idea could change your life…

A good idea really could change your life, but that’s just the start. You’ll need support, advice and funding to turn that idea into a thriving business.

You also need to be different; to stand out and to do things differently from the other businesses out there.

Orange are looking for the UK’s next different business. If you’ve got a fresh idea, why not tell Orange all about it? You could win a year’s backing and support to make it happen.

Orange understands different business thinking because they’ve always been different. Launching in 1994 into a competitive market, they’ve had a stream of new ideas, from being the first mobile company to charge calls by the second, to offering something completely different like 2 for 1 cinema tickets and pizza deals.

orange different business comp

Now Orange are giving you the chance to follow in their footsteps. The Orange Different Business Competition has a prize worth up to £200,000 which includes:

  • Investment capital
  • Legal advice
  • Business planning advice
  • Mentoring
  • Marketing consultancy

Their panel of judges includes some of the UK’s most successful business leaders – tell them about your innovative new idea and you could become the UK’s next different business. They’re looking for a different idea, different approaches, clear strategies – something that’s worth funding. (But don’t worry, there’s advice on how to complete your application on the Win Your Business website).

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from my self-employed life is that you can’t do it all alone. That makes for a long, slow-learning process.

Yes, I’ve been there and done that!

Plus we all know that business funding is hard to get hold of these days. So if you’ve got a good idea, the Orange Different Business Competition is a rare opportunity to get your business both funding AND support at the same time.

And if you don’t have a great business idea in mind right now, why not tell a friend who might have one of their own?

Go to Win Your Business to find out more and to enter.

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